Homeless Mike Garner has been given the best Christmas gift he could have wished for – a fully-furnished new house to call his own.

The 57-year-old was left sleeping in his office within an industrial unit after his world fell apart earlier this year.

In a traumatic few months, self-employed Mike was diagnosed with prostate cancer, saw his company lose a major contract, and endured a marriage breakdown which saw him leave his Smallthorne marital home.

And when his savings dwindled Mike contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau which put him in touch with homelessness charity Emmaus Potteries.

Read More

Now the charity has secured a property and teamed up with North Staffordshire companies to furnish the home in time for Christmas.

Businessman Mike Garner in his new home

Mike, who is now living in Cellarhead, said: “I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June, my business lost the contract in July and I left my house in September. I moved into my office which wasn’t ideal. I lived on my savings and then they ran out. That’s when I contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau which was brilliant and put me in touch with Emmaus.”

Read More

Mike is renting his new home with the support of a council grant. He is continuing his cancer fight and hoping to get his business back on track.

The father-of-two said: “A new home is the best thing that could have happened to me. Having a place to call home is so much more important than simply having a roof over your head. It’s a place to step back from everything that’s going on, breathe, and find a way to solve your problems. This is a new start for me and I am so grateful to everyone who has helped to make this happen.”

Read More

Manager John Webbe said: “Mike phoned to see if we could help him out and it was perfect timing. I asked if he would like to be involved and he did.

“The landlord of the commercial unit where he was living had a suitable house available, so we have worked alongside the landlord to get everything done.”

All of the furniture in the house has come from Furniture Mine. In addition, the carpet was donated by United Carpets and fitted by PM Training; household items were supplied by North Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and True Grit Training gym, in Hanley, Alice Charity provided a Christmas tree and decorations; and pottery firm Steelite made a donation.

Read More

John added: “One of the most shocking things about our work is that, in the majority of cases, before becoming homeless the people we support were leading very ‘normal’ lives.

“People become homeless for many different reasons - with relationship breakdowns, bereavement, addiction or abuse and mental health often playing a part.

“We want to thank everyone who has donated but unfortunately our work cannot stop there. Through our work with Furniture Mine, we hope to continue to make a real difference to people’s lives all year round.”